Day 25 & 26: Books and Mentors

I realize it might seem weak, or odd that after my "triumphant" return to this blog and not giving up, I immediately skip a day again. However, it was for a reason.  Promise.

I've recently discovered that for me, books and mentors go together like chocolate and caramel (I don't like peanut butter and jelly so I'm sticking with, what to me, is an unbeatable combination).  Maybe this is just because I enjoy reading and writing immensely, or maybe it's just a fact of life.  Who knows.

I think my first true mentor was Mr. Andrew Davis.  He was my high school AP English teacher, and also the teacher of Humanities, which was a special class he designed and offered, and I think should be mandatory in every school on earth.  What an incredible man.  He was so encouraging and inspiring and could find potential in you that you never thought you possessed.  He could always bring out your best, but leave you feeling and knowing that you still could do even better.  He pushed me in ways I never thought possible.  He taught his students how to truly learn; how to analyze; how to not just settle for mediocre.  He taught us to "be brilliant."  And while all this sounds great, and it is, it was also HARD.  I shed lots of tears in his classes.  I was beyond frustrated in most of his classes.  I left feeling more stupid than when I entered, many days.  But I knew that I was stretching and growing beyond what I had ever thought possible for myself, so it was beyond worth it.

And in his classes, we read.  (Well duh, one of them was an English class.)  But we read a lot.  For English and humanities.  And it was good.  He always chose the perfect books and taught us how to get the most out of them.  I later bought a few of the books we had to read for his classes because they were so interesting and important to me, to the point of being formative in who and how I am.

My second mentor was probably Todd Giles.  He was my intro to fiction teacher at KU.  An amazing teacher for an amazing class.  I formed a friendship with Todd that I still treasure deeply.  I would go to his adorable, floor-to-ceiling book-filled, tv-absent home and talk about books and life.  Most of my friends don't appreciate reading or writing in the same way I do, so it was nice to meet someone who not only appreciated it the same way, but was deeply passionate about it.  He grew and nurtured that already budding passion in me, and was a huge part of why I feel the need to write.  He too, was able to see potential in me that was beyond my own range of sight.  While it didn't win, he submitted one of my papers for an award, and put the first ideas of seeing my work published, inside me.  He showed me that it's possible to have mountains of debt and not let it run your life, and to even be HAPPY with those mountains of debt, because they were a necessary part of him living out his dreams of being an English professor.  Sacrifices must ALWAYS be made to live out your dream; but it is ALWAYS worth it.

I read books in Todd's class I would have NEVER chosen on my own.  Have you ever read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas??  So not a Kelsey book, but I enjoyed it.  Have you ever tried to read anything by Burroughs??   Mind boggling.  He threw books at me that he knew would broaden my horizons and make me greater.

I came across my most recent mentor completely by accident.  Actually I don't think of it as accident, I think of it as divine intervention.  Chad Gibbs is an author that stopped by our house church group one Thursday a couple months ago.  The day he showed up happened to be the same day I was making some big writing/career/future goal decisions.  I talked to him after our meeting and I've been bugging him through email ever since.  He's gone above and beyond, especially since I'm just a step above stranger, and sent me books, tips, and encouragement that have already started preparing me for what's to come.  I've basically underlined, highlighted and written a big YES! next to every line in the most recent book he bought and mailed me because it is so amazingly perfect for me, I can't stand it.  (Which, by the way, let's talk about that for just a minute...Chad, who I've talked to for all of 15 minutes, has already sent me a package here in Spain...not even my own mother, father, or brother have sent me a package yet!)  What a huge blessing Chad has been, and how perfectly God orchestrated the whole thing.

And throughout all of this I've also definitely been mentored by different pastors I've had, and books have always been important tools of growth in those relationships as well.

I'm always so in awe of the amazing people God places around me.  I really hope that one day I can live up to and fulfill the potential that these inspiring and encouraging people see in me, and make them as proud of me as I am of them.

I leave you with the words Mr. Davis left us with every single day, "Be brilliant.  Go."